Mental health is a key part of your overall well-being, and more people today are seeking support for issues like stress, anxiety, and depression.
Unfortunately, getting mental health care through traditional insurance can be tough. It often comes with high costs, limited choices of therapists, and confusing rules.
That’s where health sharing plans come in.
These plans work a little differently than insurance. Instead of paying premiums to an insurance company, you contribute a monthly amount to a shared pool with other members, which is used to help cover medical costs. While these plans aren’t technically insurance, they can still help with many medical expenses, including mental health care.
In this blog, we’ll explore how health sharing plans can make mental health care more accessible and affordable. We’ll look at how they offer more flexibility in choosing therapists, can help you save money, and provide a sense of community support.
We’ll also touch on a few important considerations when deciding if a health sharing plan is right for you.
As more attention is given to mental health, it’s important to know your options. Health sharing plans might be a flexible, affordable solution. Let’s take a closer look.
Quick Recap: What Are Health Sharing Plans?
Health sharing plans allow a group of people to share each other’s medical costs.
Every month, members contribute to a common fund, and when someone in the group needs medical care, the shared funds help cover their expenses.
Unlike insurance, these plans aren’t bound by the same rules and regulations but still help cover many healthcare needs, including mental health services.
Many of these plans focus on supporting the whole person—physically, mentally, and spiritually—which is why they often include therapy and counseling as part of their benefits.
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Mental Health Benefits With Traditional Health Insurance Plans
Generally, traditional health insurance provides broader and deeper coverage for mental and behavioral health issues compared to health sharing plans.
This is in part because federal law requires “parity” between plan benefits for mental health ailments and other physical ailments.
Of course, mental health care is expensive – particularly inpatient hospitalization and inpatient drug and alcohol rehab. These costs naturally add significantly to health insurance premiums.
Health sharing plans are not subject to the federal mental health parity requirements. So they are free to provide much more limited or focused benefits to plan members. By limiting sharing for mental health expenses, along with requiring waiting periods for pre-existing conditions they are able to save health sharing plan members a significant amount of money each month.
Mental Health Services in Health Sharing Plans
Here are some mental health services that might be available through health sharing plans:
- Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment. Only a few health share plans include significant benefits for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization or drug/alcohol rehab. Some are described below.
- Therapy and Counseling: Many plans offer partial sharing or reimbursement for therapy, whether it’s for individuals, couples, or families. Services can often be accessed in person or through online platforms.
- Telehealth for Mental Health: With telehealth options, you can connect with mental health professionals from the comfort of your home, which is especially convenient if you have a busy schedule or live in a remote area.
- Peer Support Groups: Many plans provide access to peer support networks, where members can share their experiences and coping strategies for managing mental health challenges like anxiety or depression.
- Stress Management Programs: Workshops focused on mindfulness, meditation, and stress management are often included, offering practical tools for handling day-to-day stress.
- Faith-Based Counseling: If you’re part of a faith-based health sharing plan, you may have access to counseling that includes spiritual guidance, which can play a key role in your mental health journey.
- Holistic Therapies: Depending on the plan, you may also have access to alternative therapies like acupuncture, yoga, or meditation, which can support both your mental and physical well-being.
Not all plans share costs for these alternative treatment modalities. You should check plan guidelines for specific benefits. Or contact an HSA for America Personal Benefits Manager for details and an individualized recommendation.
Who Should Choose Traditional Health Insurance Rather Than Health Sharing?
While the potential savings of health share plans compared to traditional insurance plans are very powerful, some people are better served by a traditional “Obamacare” type of traditional insurance plan.
Health sharing works best for those who are currently in good health who don’t get a subsidy under the Affordable Care Act, or only a small one.
However, you should consider a traditional health insurance plan if you have pre-existing conditions, ongoing health issues, or you anticipate needing a mental health hospitalization in the foreseeable future.
Choosing the Right Health Sharing Plan
When selecting a health sharing plan, think about your specific mental health needs:
- Do you require regular therapy, or just occasional support?
- Do you anticipate needing outpatient or inpatient mental health care?
- Will you or a member of your family need drug or alcohol addictions treatment?
- What medications do you need and what discounts are available?
- How does your plan handle psychotropic medications?
- Will you be able to choose your own doctor?
- Do you want access to alternative treatments such as acupuncture?
Comparing different plans and their mental health benefits will help you find the right fit.
Mental And Behavioral Health Benefits From Leading Health Sharing Plans
Here’s a detailed breakdown of mental health, drug, and alcohol rehab counseling benefits across the health sharing plans you’ve asked about.
This includes information on out-of-pocket costs, the number of shareable counseling visits, and other relevant details based on the most current guidelines available for each plan:
netWell
- Mental Health Counseling: netWell covers mental health services primarily through its Elite and Elite+ plans. Counseling visits are shareable, with a member responsible for a $40 portion of the visit fee (up to $130 per visit). Members can share up to 8 visits per family annually.
- Out-of-Pocket Costs: $40 per counseling visit, with up to 8 visits per year.
- Uprise: netWell members have access to the Uprise mobile app, which helps you learn important skills for stress management, managing anxiety and depression, and improving your overall mental fitness. It leverages an AI-driven chatbot to drive interactivity. It also includes a library of resources to help you self-manage mental fitness.
- Alternative Care: netWell begins sharing certain alternative care costs after an initial 90-day waiting period from the member’s effective date.
These alternative benefits include acupuncture, holistic, homeopathic, or naturopathic treatments, provided they are expected to be less invasive and more cost- efficient than conventional approaches.
The provider must be accredited. netWell will share 100% of the cost, up to six visits per year, once you meet your Member Commitment Portion (MCP) has been met under the plan.
Medi-Share
- Mental Health Counseling: Short-term counseling is available via telehealth with no out-of-pocket cost. In-person counseling and psychotherapy are not eligible for sharing.
- Evaluation: Psychiatric or primary care evaluation costs are eligible for sharing, as well as lab tests and medications related to an eligible medical condition, for up to six months per new condition.
- Psychiatric or Psychological Care: Not eligible for sharing.
- Inpatient Drug & Alcohol Rehab Costs: Not eligible for sharing.
- Self-inflicted injuries: Medi-Share does not share costs related to incidents of intentional self-harm.
- Acupuncture and Other Alternative Care: Not eligible for sharing.
Prosper HealthShare
- Medication Management: Universal HealthShare shares costs for up to four visits per year
- Mental Health Services: Not eligible for sharing.
HSA Secure
- Mental Health: Mental health treatment and medications are not eligible for sharing.
- Counseling: The HSA Secure plan offers support for preventative mental health counseling services via LifeWorks, a popular counseling and mental health support platform. LifeWorks is available for all memberships with no out-of-pocket costs.
- Medication Discounts: Members can use Zion HealthShare’s discount prescription program, Rx Share, for any prescribed medications that are available at a pharmacy. HSA for America clients can also use the HSA AdvantageRx discount program as well.
- Drug addiction and alcoholism treatment: Alcoholism is not considered a pre-existing condition. Treatment costs are shareable at up to $3,000 per member.
- Other Mental Health-Related Benefits: After one full year of continuous membership , the HSA Secure plan will share in expenses up to $25,000 related to the suicide or attempted suicide of an adolescent up to age 18.
Care+
- Mental Health: Mental health treatment and medications are not eligible for sharing.
- Counseling: The HSA Secure plan offers support for preventative mental health counseling services via LifeWorks, a popular counseling and mental health support platform. LifeWorks is available for all memberships with no out-of-pocket costs.
- Medication Discounts: Members can use Zion HealthShare’s discount prescription program, Rx Share, for any prescribed medications that are available at a pharmacy. HSA for America clients can also use the HSA AdvantageRx discount program as well.
- Drug Addiction and Alcoholism Treatment: Alcoholism is not considered a pre-existing condition. Treatment costs are shareable at up to $3,000 per member.
- Other Mental Health-Related Benefits: After one full year of continuous membership , the HSA Secure plan will share in expenses up to $25,000 related to the suicide or attempted suicide of an adolescent up to age 18.
- Mental Health Counseling: JHS Community’s Capstone membership tier shares costs for up to 10 days of mental health care, with an out-of-pocket cost of $500 visit per incident.
The Capstone tier also shares costs for up to ten days of outpatient treatment, as well. The plan will share up to $200 per day, depending on the plan.
The other tiers, Campus and Canon, do not share mental health treatment costs.
Altrua HealthShare
Altrua does not directly share any costs related to the treatment, testing, counseling, or hospitalization for mental health, behavioral disorders, or drug/alcohol addictions.
However, Altrua plan members who have elected the “healthy living services and discounts” plan option have access to LifeWorks, which provides telecounseling and preventive mental health services at no additional out-of-pocket cost.
Sedera
- Mental Health Treatment: Shareable up to $3,000 per separate needs case. Inpatient psychiatric care and outpatient psychiatric care for the treatment for injuries and detectable organic agents causing cognitive disabilities are Shareable up to $7,000 per separate Needs Case.
- Alcohol Rehab: Treatment for Alcohol / Substance Abuse / Chemical Dependency is Shareable to a maximum of $3,000 per separate Needs Case.
- Drug Rehab (other than alcohol): Not shareable.
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Final Thoughts
Health sharing plans can be an affordable and flexible way to access mental health care.
With a focus on whole-person care and community support, they offer an alternative to traditional insurance without the high costs and restrictions.
If you’re exploring options for mental health coverage, health sharing plans might be worth considering.
Need help? Want a personalized recommendation and quote? Just contact an experienced HSA for America Personal Benefits Manager. Consultations are free of charge, and can save you a lot of time and effort. The process is easy and stress free.
For Further Reading: Bronze vs Silver Plans: Which Is Better for You?|Health Sharing Statements of Faith: The 2025 Comparison Guide
Hi! I’m Misty Berryman, and I’m one of your Personal Benefits Managers. I like working with HSA for America because we’re creating solutions to healthcare problems. Our focus on money-saving alternatives like HSA plans and health sharing programs, and the variety of health share programs we offer, are what set us apart. Read more about me on my Bio page.
